I studied for a Degree (with Honours) in Computer Science at the University of East Anglia in Norwich and achieved a Class II Division I grading. The units I choose were heavily based on the software side of the subject with many units very relevant to web-based design. Below is a list of the key units I undertook as part of my degree, shown according to the University Year the Unit was undertaken.
Year 1
- Programming Languages and Software Construction This was an practical, programming unit based on the Java programming language.
- Fundamentals of Information Systems This unit looked at the Systems Development Lifecycle with a particular emphasis on the early stages of analysis and design.
Year 2
- Data Structures and Algorithms For this unit the foundations of data and storage structures were looked at, in particular different storage structures for holding data were considered. Practical work in this unit involved the use of Java to implement the structures considered in Lectures.
- Software Development Tools This unit was practical based and used several different programming languages. Both C and C++ were considered and aspects of these covered included file handling and loop structures. The use of Java was then considered in creating Graphical User Interfaces for applications.
- Internet Technologies This unit was an introduction to internet based technologies and on the practical side concentrated on HTML and JSP to create web sites. Other web languages and technologies looked at for this unit were XML, Javabeans and Servlets.
- Systems Analysis In this unit the early stages of the Systems Lifecycle was covered in detail along with tools and techniques used. The Feasibility, Analysis and Design period of the lifecycle were covered with topics looked at including investigation methods, file design techniques and Human Computer Interface design.
- Database Systems For this unit the emergence and use of databases was considered. On the practical side of the unit SQL was used as a way of creating and manipulating database data and EER diagrams and normalisation was used as a way of designing databases. Finally Java was used in order to create standalone database applications using the JDBC interface.
Year 3
- Introductory Computer Graphics This unit was based on 2D computer graphics and covered the basics of computer graphics using C++. Topics covered included line drawing algorithms, raster graphics systems and computer fonts.
- Systems Development for the Internet Age This covered further the topics of JSP and Servlets considered in the Internet Technologies unit and also introduced Enterprise Java Beans as a way of constructing distributed web-based business solutions. The unit also considered the design and implementation of distributed server-based systems.
- Comparative Systems Development In previous units the Systems Development Lifecycle was considered as a methodology to construct computer-based systems. This unit considered other methodologies which can be used. The main methodologies looked at were the: Soft Systems Methodology, Rational Unified Process, Dynamic Systems Development Model, Jackson Systems Development and the Structured Systems Analysis and Design Methodology.